Taken
by Frosty Yang
Summary: What happens when a dragon takes a princess after making a deal with her father? Find out in the story(this summary sucks but I like my story and I'm sure you will too). Short chapters btw
1. Chapter 1

She was alone. She was a princess, why was she in a cold cell? Levy had been there for two weeks, she had no idea why she was kidnapped by...it, or why no one had saved her yet. Levy knew she was in a castle, but it wasn't her home.

'Why am I here?', she thought as she lied on the stone floor.

Noises outside the cell caught her attention. There was grumbling and jingling of keys. She knew it was him, the thing that had kidnapped her. Levy didn't know what he looked like exactly, but she knew he was big and had eyes the color of crimson that stared into the soul.

The door opened and she heard a growl come from the figure. Levy was too afraid to move whenever he was around her; he was a monster who had stolen her, she was his prisoner. He had brought her a bowl of soup, like he always did in the evening.

"Here's dinner", he set the bowl on a small stand near a dirty mattress.

"I take it you still won't talk to me princess?" his gruff voice seemed softer than before.

He left the cell after not receiving a response and slammed the door shut. Levy crawled to the bowl and started sipping it. She knew he wouldn't kill her, he wouldn't have kidnapped her if he wanted her dead. Besides, he was probably holding her for ransom. But she wondered if it was a coincidence that he took her during her coming of age ceremony.

~Flashback~

"I can't wait for the mystery man to come! I wonder what he looks like." Levy was standing outside for the mystery person who was coming to see her.

Suddenly, Levy was picked up from the ground and was now in the air. She struggled to get out of the monster's grasp despite being over a hundred feet in the air. The princess soon felt dizzy and passed out, that's when she woke up in this cell. She was confused, scared, and far from home. She now realized she was taken captive


	2. Chapter 2

~Flash back~

"I'll give you anything, just don't destroy my kingdom", the king pleaded with the dragon

Gjaeel looked up at a family portrait and smirked, "In that case, I'll take your daughter."

"Absolutely not! The king slammed his fist on the table and yelled.

"Well then I'll just go torch your precious kingdom to a crisp", the dragon stood up from his chair.

"Fine, you can have her. But you'll have to wait until after she turns seventeen."

"I'm listening", he said.

"Did you talk to her?" A black cat asked.

"Of course not, she's never gonna open up", the dragon said as if he was annoyed.

"Not if you keep her in that cell for the rest of her life. Don't you want to have a female companion? Isn't that why you wanted her Gajeel?!" The cat exclaimed.

"Well yeah, but what am I supposed to do Lily? She's not going to talk to her "kidnapper", don't even think she knows the truth." Gajeel said with sadness.

"At least try Gajeel", Lily replied as Gajeel made his way to the kitchen.

~Flash back~

"How are you gonna get her to agree on leaving with me?"

"I'll tell her a mystery man will come after the ceremony and tell her to wait outside for him. I'll even say that he has a surprise for her", the king felt a pain in his heart.

"Well, you're not lying to her. I would be a mystery man and I would have a surprise for her, a big surprise." He chuckled.

"After that, I never want to see you again, ya' hear me", the king shouted.

"Not even to give me your daughter's hand in marriage, or maybe to see your grandchildren", the dragon grinned devilishly.

"Don't you dare touch my daughter you fiend", the king defended.

"Lucky for you, dragons don't take by force. But if anyone comes looking for the princess, I'll kill them and destroy your kingdom", the dragon declared.

"Deal", the king said reluctantly.

He knew he wouldn't see Levy ever again after the ceremony, he only hoped that she was kept safe. Little did he know that the dragon had been watching his daughter for a while now. Gajeel had come just so he could get her, which was his motive. Destroying the kingdom was just a bluff in the beginning, but he was serious about killing anyone who tried to take her from him; she was going to be his soon, no one else's.

Gajeel thought of his original plan and realized he had to scrap it. She'd never love him if she didn't talk to him. He'd have to think of something new if he wanted her to actually like him.


	3. Chapter 3

(No more flash backs)

Lily was determined to get the princess happy. He unlocked her cell door and saw her sitting on the floor. She was shocked to see a different figure, a cat at that. Lily walked near, she didn't flinch.

"Who are you?" the princess asked.

"My name is Pantherlily, but you can call me Lily for short. What's your name princess?" the black cat asked.

"I'm Levy, do you live here?"

"Of course miss", he replied.

"Why am I here Lily?"

"Sorry, you'd have to ask the master of the castle. You've already met him. I assure you that he has all the answers to your questions, he'll tell you if you talk to him." Lily explained

"Why would I talk to my kidnapper", she looked disgusted.

"He'll tell you okay, I promise."

"Alright, but can I get cleaned up first?"

"That's actually where we're going right now", Lily smiled.

Lily led Levy out of her cell and up a flight of stairs leading to of the dungeon. The long hallways were illuminated with candles and gold imprints. She was lead to a big bathroom with a bathtub in the middle. Lily told her that there were clothes in the dresser that she could change into if she chose to do so.

Levy turned on the bath and got in. She had missed the feeling of warm water on her skin and actually forgot she was a captive. She washed away all the dirt and grime that covered her. Levy felt the opportunity to wash her blue locks clean. After about thirty minutes, she left the tub and found a new dress to wear. It was orange with with accents on it. She opened the door to see Lily waiting outside patiently. He smiled politely and led her to a large door. The black cat motioned for her to open the door, so she turned the knob and saw who was sitting in the chair. It was him, the man who had taken her away from the one's she loved.

"Hello princess."


	4. Chapter 4

"Lily tells me that you're ready to start communicating, is that true?" Gajeel smirked.

"Yes, but only for you to answer my questions", Levy declared.

"Gihi, go for it", he leaned back.

"Who are you? Better yet, what are you?" Levy shouted.

"My name is Gajeel, hopefully you could that I am a dragon from our first our first encounter. I already know your next question so I'll just go ahead and tell you, this is my castle and it's far away from your kingdom.", he told her.

"Why did you kidnap me?" Levy wondered as she balled her hands into fists.

"Look, I made a deal with your dad okay. The safety of the kingdom in exchange for you. So technically, I didn't kidnap you. He just wanted me to wait until you were seventeen."

"Someone's bound to come rescue me."

"I already explained to the king that I'd kill anyone who tries to save you and destroy the kingdom."

It finally clicked in Levy's head, Gajeel was the mystery man. Her father had set her up, he told Gajeel that she'd be waiting outside. Tears started streaming from her eyes as Levy collapsed on the floor and passed out due to shock. Gajeel rushed to her and held her close, he carried her to the main master bedroom and put her in bed.

The room was a mixture of black and grey with red accent pieces everywhere. The bed had scarlet sheets with a ruby red canopy. Instead of wood, the bed was made of metal. Levy looked out of place being in that room. Her cerulean locks contrasted against the dark pillows behind her. She was the brightest thing in the room. Gajeel let her sleep. He didn't want her to be upset if he woke her up. Although he wanted to stay with the sleeping girl, he didn't want to startle her when she awakened. So Lily was left to watch her.

-Next Morning-

Levy woke up on the big bed. She was confused on where she was. She saw Lily sleeping near her and pat him until he woke up. The black cat explained that she had passed out and Gajeel had put her in this room. Levy examined the spacious room. She thought that maybe the dragon wasn't that bad.

"Are you hungry Levy?" the cat asked.

"Kind of", Levy held her stomach.

"Come with me to the kitchen." he said as he got up.

"Alright."

"Since you aren't really the princess of Magnolia anymore, you can be the princess of our castle."

"Haha, alright then. I'm guessing you'd be my most loyal subject."

"Of course!"

They ate oatmeal at the dining table as Gajeel entered the room. He eyed their oatmeal with crimson orbs and got himself a bowl. Levy watched the dragon as he contently ate his breakfast. Gajeel could sense her gaze but ignored it. He couldn't stop thinking about last night; her soft skin, her steady breath, how tiny she was compared to him. No words were exchanged for about thirty minutes until they were finished. Then Gajeel stood up and threw Levy over his shoulder. Levy was too shocked to protest and Lily didn't bother to say a word. The dragon carried her outside to the garden. She was set down at the edge of the fountain and looked at Gajeel. His face looked sad, but Levy didn't ask why.

"You fainted last night", he said randomly.

"Lily told me you took me to bed", she looked away.

"That's your room by the way, it belongs to you. I won't go in unless you allow me to. My room is down the hall, so I won't be far if you need me."

"Why now, why not before?"

"The room needed to be fixed some more before it could be used."

"Okay, why'd you bring me out here?"

"I wanted to show you that there is no way to escape from here. The only way pass those trees is up, you can't get through on foot and you can barely get through with a horse either. That means the safest place is here." Gajeel clearly had no experience with women, or at least not in a while.

"It's not like I know my way back to the kingdom, besides it was for my people, anything to keep them safe."

"Well, they're not your people anymore, so they shouldn't matter to you."

"Easy for you to say, you don't have anyone to care for."

"Yes I do, I've always care for Lily and now I'm going to take care of you." Gajeel smirked.

"Whatever."

"So Levy, you're going to live here from now on so I think you should get used to somethings."

"Like what, living in such a dark castle?" Levy said sarcastically.

"No, seeing me in dragon form." He stood back.

"Why would I want to do that?" she cried.

"Because that's the form I take when I'm guarding the castle."

"Fine, go ahead, it's not like I actually have a choice."

Gajeel backed away a little bit and started to cringe as he transformed into a dragon. Wings sprouted from his back as his skin grew shiny metallic scales. Levy wondered if transforming caused him pain, she didn't really like that she was there, but she wasn't cruel. After transforming, Gajeel had turned into a shiny, grey dragon. His scales were smooth and piercings were still covering his now reptilian face. She stared in awe at how beautiful he was, no one could tell her otherwise. Gajeel wanted to open his mouth and speak with her, but was afraid that his now booming voice would startle her, so he changed back into his human form. He walked back to Levy slowly, not wanting her to cower from him.

"So what'd you think?"

"You were beautiful." Levy couldn't hold it in.

"Really…that's a lot coming from the girl who refused to talk to me." He smirked.

"I can't lie about it. Maybe I would've liked seeing my mystery guest before he kidnapped me." Levy giggled.

"Maybe I wanted to surprise the princess instead of coming forward in the beginning. It's more fun that way, enough of that. Would you like to tour your new home?"

"Of course, I might as well learn my way around here."

"I hope you don't mind that your room overlooks the garden princess."

"I don't mind at all, and why do you call me princess?"

"Because you're my princess, you belong to me and Lily, therefore our princess."

"So you're kind of like my servant then?" she asked.

"I'm more like the king rather than a servant, and you could be queen if you'd like." He smiled at her.

"I'll think about it Gajeel." She said as they walked through the castle.

It had been a week since Gajeel had shown her the whole castle. She had thoroughly enjoyed the library, with its wide range of books. Levy sat in her room with books scattered around her. Gajeel had let her take as many books as her heart desired, he wasn't going to say no to his princess…unless it was about leaving him. Levy was content with her living conditions so she had no objections, she was still unsure about being his queen.

Gajeel had been out in the garden in his dragon form looking at Levy's balcony. He did this to keep a special watch on her when guarding the castle at night. She knew he was out there making sure she was okay, but she saw no point in going out. Tonight he figured he'd lure her out with a show. He raised his head and hot a fire ball into the sky, which got her attention. The dragon took to the skies and spat flames from his mouth to create cloud of smoke for him to mold with his wings. When he was done, the cloud was in the shape of a heart and slowly disappearing in the air. A small blush covered Levy's cheeks as she saw what he made for her. Gajeel landed in front of her balcony and put his face before her. She leaned into his reptilian face and placed a kiss on his horned snout and whispered, _'What a sweet dragon'_.


	5. Chapter 5

Back in the kingdom of magnolia, the king was very unhappy about things. He missed his daughter and wished he hadn't traded her. He could only imagine the pain his daughter must be going through. He imagined his daughter in chains and forced to serve the dragon, the lies he must have told her; it infuriated the king. He didn't care about the threat that was made, he wanted his child where he knew she'd be safe. He called two guards to his throne room.

"We must rally up some men and save my daughter!"

"But sir, what about the kingdom?" one asked.

"I don't care, I need my child back!"

"At least give us time your majesty", the second guard said.

"Alright, I'll give you your time."

The king then resided in his bedroom for the night to dream of his daughter's safe return.


	6. Chapter 6

Three months had passed since Levy had been brought to Gajeel's castle and felt at home. She had become really close and Gajeel had been spending more time with her recently. Levy had to admit it was weird living with two males, but it was exciting.

Today, she and Gajeel were going to have a picnic; Gajeel would make the food and bring the blanket while Levy only had to bring herself. It as a cool, fall day, so Levy decided to wear a bright orange dress with a small sweater to the picnic and picked up a book she was currently reading down to the garden with her. Gajeel had already set up the blanket Levy got there. He was wearing a black jacket with buttons running down to the hem over a white shirt with black pants. He smiled at her as she came to sit with him. She smiled back.

"What's for lunch today?" Levy asked.

"We have fruit salad, ham sandwiches, blueberry pie, and I packed sparkling pomegranate juice for fanciness." He said as he unpacked everything.

"Looks and sounds delicious", she laughed.

"Only the best for my princess gihi," he handed her a plate.

The two spent the whole afternoon in the garden for their picnic. They watched the clouds and talked about their childhood. Gajeel told her how he was mostly alone after his father left. His mother had died when he was young and his father left a few years later. Levy told him that is was just her and her dad. She mentioned how he had promised to take her to the beach after the ceremony, but that will never happen. Gajeel then felt bad for wanting her to himself until he had a great idea. He concluded that he'd take Levy to the beach himself, he smirked at the idea.

"Hey Lev", he rolled on his side to face her.

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright if I took you instead, you know, to the beach?"

"Sure you can Gajeel", she smiled as she placed her hand on his cheek.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault", he sat up.

"No it isn't, my father could've made a different deal. Besides, I'm your princess remember."

"You may be Lily's princess, but you're always gonna be my queen." Gajeel playfully picked her up and spun her around.

"Haha, Gajeel put me down!"

"Not a chance", he put her into a tree and looked up at her.

"So when did you want to take me to the beach?" Levy looked at the horizon.

"We can go tomorrow if you'd like", he sat next to her.

"Is there a swimsuit I could wear?"

"I'll find one, but it'd probably be made of animal skin…"

"That's fine Gajeel, thank you", she laid her head on his shoulder and held his hand.

The next morning, Gajeel woke up before down because he had to get the beach items ready. He packed food, drinks, two towels, a blanket, his swim trucks, and a bucket. Now he had to find Levy a swim suit, he looked through his mother's old drawer and found a top and matching bottoms made of fox pelt. He remembered when his father made it for her a year before she died. He pushed the thoughts aside and continued packing, picking up a sunhat on his way out. He knocked on Levy's door when the sun started to rise to see if she was awake. She came to the door already dressed with a wide grin plastered on his face, she was happy to see him. They both walked down to the dining room for a pancake breakfast, courtesy of Lily. Afterwards they walked outside, Gajeel transformed into a dragon so Levy could get on his back so he could fly them to the beach. They got there in no time flat. Gajeel promised not to look at Levy while she changed being that there was no place to hide, so she promised the same to him. They set up the blanket and headed to the water.

"Gajeel, cut it out haha", Levy cried as they splashed water at each other.

"Make me", Gajeel snickered as he went under the water.

"Gajeel!" Levy was surprised by the sudden contact as she was thrown over his shoulder.

"What? I'm just protecting my queen from potential sea monsters gihi."

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were one haha."

"Well I'm not a bad sea monster am I?"

"Of course you aren't, you'd be the nicest sea monster ever."

"Good."

They went through the food quickly and got to playing in the sand. While Levy constructed sandcastles, Gajeel burned the sand into glass hearts as mementos from the day. They found hermit grabs, starfish, sand dollars, and endless amounts of sea shells. Levy couldn't deny how much fun she was having with Gajeel, or how much he wanted her to be happy.

That night at dinner was very pleasant and lively. Lily wanted to know all of the details since he wasn't there to experience it. Afterwards, Gajeel walked Levy to her room for a good nights rest. They lightly held hands as they walked through the halls; this wasn't all that new for them, but the air seemed different this time. Gajeel wanted to get closer but wasn't sure how she'd react. When they got to her door he made his move, he softly kissed her lips for a moment and pulled away. There was a small blush on Levy's face with a dumbfounded expression,

"I'm sorry, that was stupid", he let go of her hand.

"It's okay Gajeel, I was just surprised that's all", Levy put her hands up explaining.

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it was nice", her blush grew as she touched her lips.

"But I should've asked first, it was rude", he turned away.

"I didn't mind, honest. It was sweet Gajeel, please don't feel bad", Levy pecked him softly on the lips and touched his cheek before inviting him to her room for a chat.

"Levy do you know why I made the deal with your father?"

"No, why", she was finally going to get a real answer.

"I had been watching you occasionally and thought you were very beautiful. I wanted you for myself, to love you, for you to love me. It was selfish, really."

"I do love you Gajeel, why didn't you just tell my father you wanted to court me", she asked softly.

"He'd never give me the time of day. I'm not a prince, so that rules me out, being a dragon is just extra leverage."

"It's alright, you don't have to worry Gajeel. I'm not upset, I'm happy with you", she smiled.

"I'm happy with you too, I'm really glad you like it here."

Back in Magnolia, Levy's father was going over the plans for her rescue. A small group of himself, and ten troops would go on a search until they found her or the cursed beast who took her. The general told him it would be wise if they took extra weapons in case a fight broke out, so the king agreed. He knew he'd get his daughter back, no matter what.


	7. Chapter 7

A week later, Gajeel knew he and Levy would get married. He already owned the rings and clothes, now he only needed her father's blessing. There wasn't an easy way to get the king to say yes, so he'd try to persuade him. Gajeel got up for the day and flew to Magnolia to have a chat with the king.

"Hello your highness", Gajeel chuckled.

You! What more do you want from me?" the king yelled.

"I've come to make another deal, you may even like this one."

"What do you mean", the king narrowed his eyes.

"I'll bring your daughter back, if you give the blessing of our marriage. I don't care about being king, just want Levy to be my wife."

"You're forcing her aren't you?!"

"No, I just asked. She doesn't know I'm here, please", he begged.

"Fine, you may bring her next week. Will she know?"

"No, we'll come by carriage so she doesn't see the area."

"Alright then, don't wear the wedding attire, don't want to ruin the surprise", the king grinned.

"Thank you your majesty", Gajeel bowed as he left.

The king felt the happier of the two men. He didn't need to storm the dragon's castle, he could just imprison the beast when he comes back. He couldn't wait to see his daughter again, to save her from his clutches. The king didn't believe a word from Gajeel's mouth, he was only a liar.

"Guards", the king called out.

"Yes sir?"

"Forget about storming the castle, the beast is coming here with my daughter next week, we'll ambush him here."

"But how sir, he could possibly sense us."

"Drop a cage on him upon his entry, but make sure my daughter is out of harm's way."

"But sir, what if he breaks free?"

"Put spikes on the inside. He will be imprisoned in the dungeon. That monster will pay for what done."

Gajeel felt like the happiest dragon alive. He'd soon have his dream girl, and she wanted him back. Gajeel would have to get used to having servants and people to rule over, that's why Levy can help him. Now he just needed to keep the surprise, she was always with him and told her just about everything. When he got back, Levy was reading in his big chair in front of the fire place. She knew she wasn't allowed to sit in it without permission, so he thought she deserved to be punished. He snuck up behind the chair and grabbed her shoulders, causing her to make a noise as she jumped.

"Gajeel! Why would you scare me like that?"

"Well, you're sitting in my chair without permission. That means you deserved it", he laughed.

"Fine", she got up from the chair but was then pulled to the floor.

"You ain't getting out that easy Shrimp. As punishment, I'm gonna do your hair for the next week", Gajeel ran his fingers through her blue locks.

"But why?"

"Your hair is longer, so I'm gonna put it in different styles."

"Alright, just don't make me look like a little kid."

"We're also gonna go on a little trip in a few days, so you should start packing a few things", he said while he put her hair in a Dutch braid.

"I didn't know you could braid!" Levy was astonished by his ability.

"My mom taught my dad. It was supposed to help tame my hair, but I have no reason to look fancy."

"What about for me?"

"Maybe one of these day", he smiled.

"So what do I need to pack?"

"You should bring casual dresses, the rest is the usual. We're going by carriage so we can both relax on the way. It might take about a day to get there, but Lily and I will take turns."

"It's great that Lily gets to come. Is this some sort of family trip", she turned to ask.

"Kinda like that, just wait n' see, alright shrimp."

"Alright giant", she laughed.

Levy read Gajeel to sleep the rest of the night. She wondered where they were going but didn't linger too long as to not get a headache. She too drifted to sleep for the night.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the morning of their arrival at the castle. Levy was fast asleep in the carriage, so Gajeel decided to put her hair in a mermaid braid to impress the king. Meanwhile at the castle, the guards were pulling a steel cage to the ceiling in front of the door. They would let go of the rope when the dragon opens the door and get captured.

When the carriage stopped in front, Gajeel gently woke Levy. She hugged her dragon tightly upon seeing her old home. They rushed with their luggage while Lily put the carriage away. But after they opened the door, Gajeel pushed Levy aside as the cage trapped him. Guards pointed spears at him as the king came from down the hall.

"Levy I'm so glad you're okay", the king hugged her.

"This wasn't the deal!" Gajeel growled.

"Father, what is the meaning of this?"

"I'm making sure this monster doesn't harm you again!"

"Gajeel hasn't hurt me father, he loves me and I love him," she cried as she looked at the cage.

"He's blinded you Levy, I will handle you later. Guards, take my daughter to her room."

"We had a deal! You said you'd give your blessing!" Gajeel screamed from the cage.

"Well, I lied. Why would I want a dragon on the throne? How would I know that you weren't lying about not wanting to be king?" The king walked around the cage.

"Why would I betray the father of the one I love?"

"I don't want to hear your lies, take him to the dungeon."

Levy cried as she sat in her old room. She was almost upset at her father for what was going on, but couldn't because of how confused she was. A few minutes later, her father walked in to apologize for giving her away. Levy stood and walked to the other side of the room.

"What's done is done father, you cannot undo it", she turned away.

"What did he do Levy, did he hurt you? Did he put you in a dungeon?"

"Only for a little while…but that's not the point. Gajeel was good to me, I was only bitter before I knew the deal", she frowned.

"I'm sorry darling, but he threatened to destroy the kingdom-"

"I am aware of that, he explained it all to me. He knew you'd say no to courting me, that's why he made the deal."

"Well of course I'd say no, he's a dragon-"

"Just give him a chance, please! He's not bad, he's sweet, and has a friend, with the carriage." Levy pleaded.

"Fine, but only for you. I'll speak to him."

"Thank you father."

The king walked down the halls to the dungeon entrance. He entered to see Gajeel pacing in his cell as if pondering something. He soon noticed the king and turned to him.

"I'm surprised you haven't tried to escape monster", the king said.

"Oh, I would've if Levy wasn't in the castle. I could eat through the bars without a second thought if Levy wasn't on the line right now."

"I'm giving you one chance, but if you blow it, you must leave for good."

"Trust me, I won't. Losing her is the last thing I want."

The king unlocked the cell door and lead Gajeel to his new room. It was a suite, but not nearly as big as the room at his own castle. Back home; he had a king size bed, a huge rug, fire place, book shelves, a chest full of jewels, among other things. Here, it was just a twin bed and a medium sized rug. He was complaining or anything, he'd just do what he needed and take Levy back home with him, easy peasy. He sat on the bed and waited for them to call him for dinner. He couldn't get Levy's horrified face out of his head. So he concluded that if he didn't get the king's blessing by the end of the week, they'd just elope.

Dinner time was a pain, the king wouldn't even allow them to sit together. Although Levy found the gesture sweet, it was a bit annoying. She and Gajeel had been living together for months, her father had nothing to worry about. Dinner went on in silence, there was a lot of resentment; from levy, not only for trading her without saying so, but for imprisoning Gajeel. But Gajeel hated the fact that the king went back on his word. The king didn't care what they thought, he knew what was best for his own child, and it definitely wasn't some dragon who practically demanded her hand. Next thing they knew, there was a scuffle outside the dinning hall, then a small black figure flew through the doors.

"Lily!" Levy cried as she got up from the table.

"The guards tried to lock me up, so I rushed to find you", he said.

"Father, this is Lily, Gajeel's friend."

"So this is the monster's friend?" The king said as Gajeel growled.

"Gajeel's not the monster here your highness. No offense, but Gajeel hasn't done anything really wrong. You not only lied, but imprisoned him; sure he took Levy, but you gave him permission and he didn't go back on what he said, your daughter is right in front of you, yet you hold his grudge." Lily explained.

"Well, he shouldn't have made the deal", the king yelled.

"Look, I only came back so you could see your daughter get married. I could've went to any old chapel to be wed, but I knew how much it meant to Levy", Gajeel growled in anger.

"They both have been really good to me father, Gajeel is no monster. You can't expect to see the good in him if you keep us apart", Levy spoke softly.

"Levy, you must understand, I couldn't protect you before, but now I can."

"I don't need protection father, nothing bad is going to happen to me. If I'm in danger, Gajeel will protect me." Levy was almost in tears at this point.

"Fine, but I will be the judge of his character. Tomorrow morning we will have breakfast and go on a little outing. Do not be late", the king took his leave.

Levy collapsed in tears as she hugged Gajeel, begging him to take her home, his home. This was the first time he'd seen her cry. Lily pat her on the back, trying to calm her. Levy didn't care about a blessing, she just wanted Gajeel to be safe with her. Gajeel, although still bitter, wanted to do things right and marry traditionally. So he told her to hold out a little longer and promised that it would be okay. Later, he escorted her to bed and kissed her forehead before going off to his room. Lily chose to stay with Gajeel fro the night in case the king tried to pull something funny.

For Levy, the night was restless and full of nightmares, until the morning sun poked through her window.


End file.
